


At Ease

by ecto_zone



Category: N/A - Fandom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 06:36:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14743805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ecto_zone/pseuds/ecto_zone
Summary: Blood doesn't have much time left, but there's still work to be done.





	At Ease

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sinfulbastard](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Sinfulbastard).



“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to enter through the security checkpoint.”

 

The Colonel huffed, pulling out his identification card without giving the guard so much as a glance. Although the senior officer was in civilian clothing, he should’ve been easily identifiable - he was probably the highest-ranking officer on post at that time, after all!

 

“O-oh, nevermind sir.” The guard made a hasty salute that went unnoticed. The colonel pushed open the front door, stepping into the reception area, empty aside from the usual decorations and a handful of secretaries handling the day’s paperwork behind the front desk.

 

He made his way to the front desk, singling out a young, feminine-looking skeleton dressed in the typical pressed, navy uniform reserved for civilian personnel.

 

“Good morning, sir!” She chirped, beaming up at the Colonel. “How may I-”

 

“Colonel.” He cut her off.

 

“Oh? I apologize, Colonel-”

 

“Colonel Saurus. Head officer of the Home region?” He glowered at the hapless secretary as her resolve crumbled under his stare.

 

Even among skeletons, Colonel Saurus was an imposing figure, a head taller than the next tallest skeleton in the room. Miscellaneous scrapes and scarred bone tissue perforated his face, and his eyelights glowed a dark violet. Even when he wasn’t trying to be intimidating, the average rank-and-file tried to satisfy his needs in a way that minimized necessary face-to-face contact with him.

 

Today, not only was he running late, but he spilled coffee on his dress uniform.

 

The secretary lowered her head. After a brief pause she petitioned, her voice a murmur.

 

“How may I help you?”

 

“I need to pick up the Major’s monthly progress report. Do you have it or am I going to have to get it myself?” He leaned over the desk, staring daggers into the back of the secretary’s head.

 

“I-I’ll go get them!” She announced, swivelling her chair around and jogging away, her heels clacking against the tile floor as she disappeared into the archive.

 

Saurus huffed, turning his attention away from the desk as the glow of a vending machine caught his eye. He hadn’t had breakfast yet and some chips sounded good.

 

He approached the machine, pulling out a handful of change and entering 5g worth of assorted coins into the slot, then entered in the numbers for the product he desired. The mechanized ring spun a quarter-turn before the machine went dark, some sort of mechanical fault or electrical mishap rendering the machine inoperable.

 

The staff turned their heads in unison as Saurus inhaled, clenching his hands until the joints popped. With a growling exhale, he stormed his way back to the front desk, right as the secretary scooted her way into the room, a small packet of papers in her hands.

 

“You.” Saurus growled, his eye sockets now radiating purple.

 

“Down the hall, third door on your left!” the secretary breathed, placing the requested papers on her desk. Saurus ignored them, marching down the hall to the office of whatever two-bit excuse for a Major ran this dumpster fire of a Central Command office.

 

Saurus found the door he was looking for. The office of the commanding officer, Major Styx. He had been in her presence before. She was a short, cheery skeleton who always had a reason to smile. Not once in his life had he seen her so much as berate another soldier.

 

He was going to let her have it.

 

Without knocking, Saurus turned the doorknob and thrust the door open, the door thudding against the door stop on the back wall as he stamped into the room. Saurus had already begun his tirade before he had laid eyes on the Major.

 

“Styx, you’ve got a lot of explaining to do! The state of this facility is entirely unacceptable and I demand-!”

 

Saurus stopped mid-sentence, noticing a figure much different than Styx sitting at her desk. The mysterious skeleton had their head down, hands strumming along a typewriter while they muttered the words of a document they were transliterating.

 

Saurus gawked. “Y-you’re not- who the hell are you and why are you in Styx’s office!”

 

The skeleton looked up from their work. The chair creaked as the skeleton sat up straight, bending backwards at length. Several seconds of silence passed as the two skeletons looked into each other's eyes. For once, Saurus’s resolve fell short. The skeleton that returned his gaze stared at him with decided disinterest, the blank expression on their face juxtaposed the intensity of their ruby eye lights.

 

“Major Styx is out sick. I am covering her post today.” He flashed a formal smile and tipped his peaked cap. “General Blood, at your service.”

 

Saurus stammered, a myriad of words caught in his throat at once. Much like himself, Blood was not in his usual uniform - and besides, all these skeletons looked alike without proper identification! It was a mistake anyone could make! Yet, only now did Saurus perceive the rank on the arm of Blood’s fatigues, the single, tan star shining below the crest of the nation.

 

“I do not have all day, Colonel.” Blood leaned forward, chair creaking once more as he slouched over the front desk.

 

Saurus gulped. “The, uh… Vending machine.”

 

“Ah.” Blood stood, the material of his uniform crinkling as he rose, his stout figure straining the fabric. Light reflected off of his polished boots as he rounded the desk. The heels clacked against the floor as he strode up to Saurus. The two skeletons were of equal height, yet at this moment, Saurus felt smaller than the secretary.

 

“What do I owe you?” Blood asked, reaching a hand into his pocket.

 

“Five g.” Saurus mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

 

Blood maintained his gaze on the Colonel, pulling 5g out of his pocket. He held the coin out to Saurus, encouraging him to take the compensation with a single, encouraging nod.

 

Saurus’s eyes darted around the room. Something felt off, and he knew he was going to be punished in some way, but how?

 

Despite his best efforts, Saurus could not suppress the trembling of his hand as he reached for the coin. He grasped at the metal, and not a moment later did he find his hand enveloped by both of Blood’s, the General lightly pressing the coin into the Colonel’s palm.

 

Saurus gasped, the intake just audible enough for Blood to breathe out a cooing reassurance in reply.

 

“Shh, shh, shh… It is alright, Colonel. I take full responsibility for the mechanical failures of my post. I will strive to address these issues directly in the future.”

 

Saurus shuddered as he exhaled, an azure flash from Blood’s eyes going unnoticed.

 

Blood pat Saurus’s hand before withdrawing his hands back to his sides. “Now, if there is anything else I may assist you with, please wait here for me. I have some very important business to see to.”

 

Saurus nodded, and Blood gave a curt smile.

 

Blood strode past Saurus, exiting the office and turning to his left, the clicking of his boots trailing off.

 

Saurus waited until he could no longer hear the General’s footsteps before relaxing. Beads of cold sweat inched along his forehead. Now conscious of the invasive droplets, Saurus went to wipe-

 

Seething pain wracked his hand. His willpower was stressed to its limits as he fought to keep his hand from making a reactionary jerk away from the pain. He looked down at his closed hand, finding the cause of his injury.

 

A single, cyan bone was set directly through his hand.

 

\---

 

Blood groaned as he reclined in the breakroom armchair, a disposable cup of coffee in one hand. He crossed his legs as he settled into the fine upholstery. His eyes were heavy after spending the entire morning scanning documents, and the joints of his hands ached from the countless forms he had already signed.

 

“Only a couple dozen more to go.” Blood murmured into his coffee as he sipped it. The bitter roast scalded his throat. Hot and shitty, just how he liked it.

 

His idle hand moved to his abdomen, patting at his lower chest. Blood winced as he applied some pressure to the area. He began to undo the buttons of his uniform, pulling up his undershirt to reveal his bandaged torso. Scarlet magic had begun to stain the bandages. He placed a finger on the substance, finding the bleeding to be fresh.

 

He sighed, correcting his uniform.

 

He supposed he should take some solace in the fact that he did much worse to that would-be mugger than what damage he managed to cause to him. The poor bastard was already turning to dust before he hit the ground.

 

Still, though. That son of a bitch had made a pretty lucky shot.

 

He hadn’t even noticed it, at first. Pure adrenaline had been coursing through his body, instinct guiding his actions as he retaliated to the savage blow that had been struck upon him. It wasn’t until after his attacker was dead that Blood noticed just how close he himself had come to dusting there as well.

 

The attack had pierced his clothing, tearing right through his ribcage and out the other side. Neither of those were a big deal - clothes could be mended. Bones could be healed.

 

The real damage, which could not be undone, was to his soul. Barely a scratch, a hairline fracture. But that was all it took.

 

He knew he didn’t have much time, then. And that was weeks ago.

 

Blood didn’t bother to see a doctor about it. He knew the damage, as he had seen the same fate befall several of his comrades throughout his years of service. None of them lasted longer than a month, even for the tiniest fracture. The instability caused by a soul fracture was not only untreatable, it was an injury that would only make itself worse as time went on. The best that Blood could hope for was that he could dress his wound well enough that he did not constantly bleed out his magic everywhere. In a sense, the bandages wrapped tightly around his chest were literally holding him together.

 

And they were starting to fail.

 

“Almost there, soldier. Almost there.” Blood reassured himself, taking slow, steady breaths. Ever since that incident, he had begun the arduous task of reassigning his myriad responsibilities onto other, equally capable people within the ranks. It was very tiring, formal work, but the wellbeing of the nation depended on it. He did not come this far just to let it all be undone by one little attack.

 

He felt as if he could fall asleep in the chair, but there was still work to do.

 

He thought to himself. “ _ Maybe five more minutes. _ ”

 

As if fate itself was reading Blood’s mind, his cell phone began to vibrate. The otherwise silent room was suddenly filled with the tinny, electronic tunes of his ringtone. Groaning above the sound of his phone, Blood rummaged through his pocket as the techno tune roused him from his nap.

 

The number wasn’t on his contact list. This was strange, because the phone was supposed to be secure. Regardless, Blood accepted the incoming call.

 

“Blood.”

 

“Sir!” The voice on the other end sounded desperate.

 

Saurus.

 

“Ah, Colonel. How did you get this number?” Blood uncrossed his legs, rising to his feet.

 

“Many apologies, sir. I had to search through the Department of Defense directory to find your number. I do not mean to intrude on your business, but could I ask that you return soon? Please?” Saurus’s voice was pleading.

 

Blood checked his watch. Twenty minutes. Impressive!

  
A grin of smug satisfaction crept across Blood’s face. “I will return in a moment.”

 

“Oh, thank you si-” He ended the call without bothering to let Saurus end his sentence.

 

\---

 

Magic dripped from Saurus’s hand. What little movement he had made was enough to gash the bone, and now a sizeable puddle of violet had formed on the floor. The minutes had ticked by as if they were hours, and a mixture of pain and blood loss had driven him to reach out to Blood directly. He could’ve tried grabbing the attention of one of the workers, but he had to save face after making such a boisterous introduction, and he couldn’t let anyone see him like this - the humiliation would follow him for the rest of his life!

 

It took all his might to keep his hand from trembling. The aching muscles begged to spasm for some sort of relief. The intense desire to free his hand warred against the great pain that the bone attack had caused - and the risk of much greater, perhaps even permanent injury any further agitation could cause. He whimpered, praying to whatever gods existed that the General would return soon.

 

A familiar clacking of boots in the distance brought a rush of relief to Saurus. Finally, his salvation had come!

 

The door swung open, Blood giving the Colonel the same dead stare that he had left with.

 

“S-sir!” Saurus began. Blood remained in the doorway, arms folded behind his back. He scanned Saurus, keeping his gaze on the Colonel as if he were waiting for something. Several seconds of silence passed before Saurus repeated his greeting.

 

“S-sir?”

 

Blood blinked. “Is that how you address a superior?”

 

The question hung in the air. Saurus gulped, sweat intensifying on his forehead. He knew what Blood wanted him to do - it was customary to salute a superior when they entered the room. Specifically, salute with your left hand. His trapped hand.

 

Blood began tapping his foot against the floor. “Any time now, Colonel.”

 

Saurus whined, his eye lights doubling in terror. He was caught between causing grievous injury to himself, or incurring further wrath from the General.

 

Saurus shut his eyes tight, gritting his teeth until his jaw began to seize up. One swing of his hand and it would be over, right? It was the wiser option in the end.

 

He swung his hand into the saluting position with such force that he bonked his head. Dazed, Saurus opened his eyes to find that he hadn’t had his hand ripped in half by the bone that was previously floating in mid-air.

 

A faint wisp of orange trailed away from one of Blood’s eyes.

 

“Much better. At ease, Colonel.”

 

Saurus’s eyes darted to where his hands were. The bone that levitated there poofed out of existence in a haze of orange.

 

“Now, what did you need me for?”

 

Saurus rubbed his wounded hand, cradling it as the sticky magic coagulated in his joints.

  
“I, uh… Nevermind, sir. I need to go to the infirmary now, if you don’t mind!”

 

Blood stepped aside. Saurus wasted no time in jogging out of the room. After he rounded the corner, Blood closed the door to his office and made his way back to his chair. His smile returned, and he chuckled to himself as he stared at the small pool of purple magic that stained the floor. His mirth built into a hearty laugh that shook his frame as he revelled in the joy of a revenge prank well done.

 

The laughter slipped into choked coughs as a distinct crack erupted from his chest.

 

“ _ Shit-! _ ”

 

Blood didn’t need to look down to know what had happened. The bandages had slipped. Whether fate was being cruel to him or he had amused himself to injury, he didn’t know. Regardless, he knew he didn’t have any more time. He whipped himself into a fervorous pace, attacking the small pile of remaining documents, pen in hand. He signed line after line, initialing and dating every entry as required. Everything was typed up, all he had to do was put his name on it. He didn’t even look at what he signed, focusing on the growing dark spot on his jacket. His head felt light, disorientation beginning to set in. 

 

He reached for another page, only to find that he had signed the last one. Collecting everything he had prepared, he bundled all the pages into a stack, and cradled them in his hands, keeping the stack clear of the growing stain. The door clicked as he forced the knob open with his magic, stumbling into the hallway. A passing worker noticed him, concern flashing across their face as they noticed the beads of sweat dripping off of Blood’s brow.

 

“Sir, are you alright? Would you like me to-”

 

Blood brushed past them, avoiding eye contact.

 

“I’m fine,” he hissed. He just needed to get these documents to the archive and he could go home to address his injury in private.

 

“Are you sure?” The worker asked, watching as Blood leaned against the wall, his usually pristine posture slacking as his strength waned. Hearing the commotion, other personnel began poking their heads out from their cubicles and office rooms. He felt their eyes on him, and wanted nothing more than to be alone.

 

“Just… Need to drop these off,” Blood breathed. He felt a cough coming on, and craned his head onto his shoulder. He hacked into his jacket, tasting bitter magic on his tongue. He shuddered as he saw the color of the magic on his coat, a burn pink. Magic mixed with dust.

 

Maybe he did need some assistance.

  
“I…” Blood began, only to let out a short cry as he felt one of his knees give out. Papers fluttered around him as he lost control of the stack, bracing himself against the floor with his hands. The closest worker rushed to his aid, bending down over him.

 

“Sir!” The worker placed a hand on Blood’s shoulder. Blood flinched, but didn’t reject them.

 

Blood craned his neck upwards, vision fading. The worker’s mouth was moving, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. He reached a hand upwards, placing it on the worker’s arm.

 

“Help me.” Blood choked, his vision failing. Unable to carry himself, he collapsed against the worker, the world going dark as crimson magic began to drip onto the floor below.

**Author's Note:**

> Ranks: The ranks of the personnel mentioned in this chapter (Major Styx, Colonel Saurus, and General Blood), are loosely based on the hierarchy of officer ranks within the Russian Armed Forces. In this instance, Major Styx is more officially known as a NATO-Equivalent OF-3 rank, the lowest rank of "Senior Officers". Likewise, Colonel Saurus is more specifically known as a NATO-Equivalent OF-5 rank. FInally, General Blood is actually a NATO-Equivalent OF-9 rank, which is an "Army General". This is the second highest position in the armed forces, just below that of the Marshal themself, which is OF-10. Suffice to say that Blood is a very important, very influential member of his nation's military. Saurus was afraid of him for good reason!  
> Secondly, all characters in this chapter aside from Blood were completely made up on the spot. They have no significance outside of this story.  
> Thirdly, in case you're wondering what Blood's ringtone was: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvEZn79Twrs


End file.
